History
History Unearthed: The Du Luth Stone
A stone that bears the marking “Du Luth 1679” has been found in Pine County, one hour southwest of Duluth. A prominent geologist says the discovery could be one of the oldest carved artifacts ever found in Minnesota, potentially carved by the French explorer Daniel de Gresolon, the Sieur du Lhut.
Forensic geologist Scott Wolter, developer of archaeopetrography, a scientific process used to date the origins of stone artifacts, says the stone is “absolutely authentic.”
History texts indicate Gresolon landed his canoe on Minnesota Point on June 27, 1679, with the mission to meet with natives and persuade them to trade fur with the French instead of the British. Five days later he took possession, in the name of the King of France, of the Dakota territories at the village of Izatys, attaching the coat of arms of King Louis XIV to a tree on the shore of Mille Lacs Lake, just west of Pine County. (more…)
Marshall-Wells Paint
It’s unclear whether someone brought this sign to the Western Waterfront Trail and propped it up for public display for some reason or if it was dredged out of the St. Louis River.
An Epic Voyage to Whiteside (Clough) Island
This is my contribution to the One River, Many Stories project, and is epic as ever. Right here, on this fascinating island within the St. Louis River estuary, a millionaire built a large vacation home and an impressive farm that may have been the largest in the area. Here they harvested 3,500 bushels of wheat in a season, kept pigs, trained numerous racing horses, tended a herd of black angus cows, kept 40 brown swiss milking cows at one time, had 500 sheep, cared for an enormous vegetable garden, and much much more.
This was a quest to uncover remnants of the past and be immersed into an incredible story. What I discovered on kayak, on foot, and by personally meeting the author of the only book on the subject, was most surprising. See more at Ed’s Big Adventure, and perhaps be inspired to see this place for yourself.
Duluth Tintype Photography
The latest Duluth artifacts to fall in my lap are three unlabeled tintypes — photos processed onto thin sheets of metal. I don’t think I’ve come across Duluth tintypes before, but surely others must exist, so I post here with the hope that someone can enlighten me in the comments section and perhaps share their own tintypes. (more…)
We have arrived in Duluth and our hats are impeccable
Would anyone like to take a stab at translating the message on the back of this postcard? It was mailed from Duluth to Miss Lillian Carlson of Minneapolis at some point during the era of one-cent postcard postage and fancy hats. The postmark date is not readable. (more…)
PDD Quiz: Ides of March
[This post originally contained an embedded quiz created on the platform Qzzr. It is no longer available at its source.]
It’s nigh the ides of March which is a good time to be wary. How much do you know about disasters that have befallen our fair city? Take the quiz and find out.
Thanks to Paul Lundgren for contributing to today’s quiz.
Our next quiz will be on March 27 and we will be looking in the rear view mirror at what’s happened in and around Duluth this month.
Send your suggested quiz questions (and answers) to lawrence @ perfectduluthday.com by noon on Wednesday, Mar. 23.
Postcard from the Hill Top
Mailed in 1923, six years before the Aerial Transfer Bridge became the Aerial Lift Bridge, this postcard depicts the old days when a gondola car carried passengers, streetcars and wagons over the canal. Numerous buildings in this postcard are long gone. (more…)
Minnesota’s First Presidential Primary
“In Minnesota, the Democrats are all for Wilson so far as the candidates for delegate are concerned. The crazyquilt presidential primary law has befuddled everybody from the rummy to justices of the supreme court. Only Albert B. Cummins, senator of Iowa, and Henry D. Estabrook of New York, are before the Republicans for their “preference.”
Full story text below: (more…)
Duluth’s Sunbeam Theatre
At the top of the “theaters just about no living person has heard of” category is Duluth’s Sunbeam Theatre, located at 109 W. Superior St. from 1908 to 1922. The Minnesota Reflections website notes “the silent film Highbrow Love was out in 1913. In 1922 the motion picture theater the Astor took that address, and the Sunbeam moved to 103 W. Superior St., where it remained until 1930.” (more…)
PDD Quiz: Presidents in Duluth
[This post originally contained an embedded quiz created on the platform Qzzr. It is no longer available at its source.]
Next week the quiz will be a review of Duluth happenings in February 2016. Send your suggested quiz questions (and answers) to lawrence @ perfectduluthday.com by noon on Wednesday, Feb. 24.
Ethnographic Study of Indigenous Contributions to Duluth
Last night at Gimajii, the Design Duluth meeting sponsored by the DAI shared copies of An Ethnographic Study of Indigenous Contributions to the City of Duluth — a fascinating document that invites us to think about the erasure of indigenous participation and contributions to Duluth culture — and to appreciate those contributions and participation even more heartily. (more…)
Video Archive: 1986 Denfeld Hockey
Denfeld High School’s first trip to the Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournament was in 1986. The video above includes TV news clips of the team’s Section 2 playoff wins — 2-1 over Duluth East, 8-2 over St. Cloud Apollo and 6-2 over Anoka. (more…)
Old Eighth Street Market building’s days are numbered
The former Eighth Street Market building at 5702 W. Eighth St. is slated for demolition. (more…)
PDD Quiz: Roses are red. Violets are blue.
[This post originally contained an embedded quiz created on the platform Qzzr. It is no longer available at its source.]
Next week’s theme is “Presidents in Duluth” in honor of Presidents Day. Send your suggested quiz questions (and answers) to lawrence @ perfectduluthday.com by noon on Wednesday, Feb. 17.
Coming Home to Mother: Feb. 13, 1969
Safe at Home
Somewhere at sea: Two landing craft ease their way — side by side — through the wide opening at the stern of the USS Duluth. The craft employs almost all the room available on coming aboard. After the boats are tied down, the ballast tanks are emptied and the wall is drained.
(U.S. Navy photo via United Press International)
The Alan Sparhawk Project
Ten year’s ago, Duluth musician Alan Sparhawk had his name dropped in this little comic (specifically panel three):
Questionable Content is an internet comic strip by Jeph Jacques of Halifax, Nova Scotia. It started in August 2003 and is still in production. The publish date of the comic above is not known, but it was first posted to PDD on Feb. 9, 2006.
Two Harbors: “Everything is so interesting.”
It looks like the postmark on this card to Emily Jackson of Albert Lea might be from the year 1909. The day is clearly July 26. (more…)
Louie Anderson KDLH Interview from 1996
The subject of The Louie Show, Louie Anderson’s 1996 TV situation comedy set in Duluth, was covered fairly in-depth on PDD two years ago, but we mark the 20th anniversary of the airing of the first episode with a few updates. Particularly, there’s the discovery of the Louie Anderson interview above, conducted by KDLH-TV’s Joe Thornton, which aired during the 10 p.m. newscast following episode #2. (more…)
Video Archive: President Coolidge visits Hibbing in 1928
This film footage from 1928 shows U.S. President Calvin Coolidge arriving in Hibbing on the Duluth, Missabe, and Northern Railroad to view mining operations and see the highly acclaimed Hibbing High School. Modern-day aerial footage of the school concludes the video.
PDD Quiz: The Untold Delights of Duluth
[This post originally contained an embedded quiz created on the platform Qzzr. It is no longer available at its source.]
Thanks to the historians and contributors over at Zenith City Online. Their article on “The Untold Delights of Duluth” was the basis for many of the questions and answers for this quiz. So, if you want to cheat study up before taking the quiz, head over there.